Threats to weta

Tusked weta 

The decline of most weta is due to three major causes:

• Predation
• Weta have evolved alongside native predators such as birds, reptiles, and bats. The introduction of predators such as rats, mustelids, cats, and hedgehogs has resulted in a sharp increase in the rate of predation.
• Habitat destruction
  • Caused by human impacts
• Browsers
  • Modification of weta habitat caused by browsers.

Potential for recovery

The potential for recovery is quite high for a number of reasons:

• Invertebrates respond well to management because they have a high rate of productivity.
• Many weta adapt well to modified habitat.
• Invertebrates also require smaller areas to survive than vertebrates, and can survive in tiny fragments of original habitat.
• Weta also thrive in captive breeding programmes. This is useful, because it means that research can take place that is difficult to obtain in the field.

Past conservation efforts

Management and research to date has centred on various types of giant weta, as well as several types of tusked weta, and tree weta.